English
cartoon
Cartoon comes from French carton ‘sketch, cardboard, card’, from Italian carta ‘paper’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- ‘to scratch’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰer-‘to scratch’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχᾰρᾰ́σσωkhărắssō‘to scratch’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEχάρτηςkhártēs‘sheet of paper’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcarta‘papyrus, paper’
- Italianc. 1300–presentcarta‘paper’
- Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentcartone‘cardboard, carton, box’augmentative of carta
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcarton‘sketch, cardboard, card’
- Englishtodaycartoon
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰer-‘to scratch’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχᾰρᾰ́σσωkhărắssō‘to scratch’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEχάρτηςkhártēs‘sheet of paper’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcarta‘papyrus, paper’
- Italianc. 1300–presentcarta‘paper’
- Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentcartone‘cardboard, carton, box’augmentative of carta
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcarton‘sketch, cardboard, card’
- Englishtodaycartoon
The story
In British English first, from French carton (‘sketch, cardboard, card’), from Italian cartone (‘cardboard, carton, box’), augmentative of carta (‘paper’), from Latin carta (‘papyrus, paper’), from Ancient Greek χάρτης (khártēs) (see there for further etymology).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- ‘to scratch’
girl, rocket, chronic, chorus, synchronous, urchin, synchronize, crony, germanium, cron, 35 more
through Ancient Greek χᾰρᾰ́σσω ‘to scratch’
through Ancient Greek χάρτης ‘sheet of paper’
Today it means
noun A humorous drawing, often with a caption, or a strip of such drawings.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- / cartoon